The present invention relates to a fluid filter according to the preamble of claim 1.
Filters of this type are known for example from DE 42 14 500 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,533,266. DE 42 14 500 A1 has a much more economically manufactured filter than the older U.S. Pat. No. 2,533,266. However, installation of the filter bypass valve is comparatively complicated since the sealing body of the valve must be guided together with a sealing body carrier through nearly the entire length of a supporting dome and then anchored in the supporting dome. Both of the above patents teach valves with a sealing body that has an elongate shaft.
A fluid filter of a different species is known from DE 43 10 234 C1, in which the entire filter bypass valve is provided inside the replaceable filter element, with the filter bypass valve comprising a sealing body made in the form of a circular disk.
Fluid filters that do not belong to the foregoing species are known from EP 0 254 776 B 1 and DE 39 04 701 A1. These filters typically do not include any replaceable filter elements, and are themselves replaced completely, i.e. including the entire filter housing.
The goal of the invention is to improve on a fluid filter according to the foregoing species in such fashion that the manufacturing costs of the filter are lowered by reducing the number of parts and assembling them as economically as possible.